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What Parents Want (aka "Why do you think parents support athletics?") I'm becoming increasingly convinced that the pressure to win is not only stressful but is mostly self-created. In other words many coaches bring it upon themselves. This alone is bad enough because it probably accounts for high coach turnover rates. Even worse is the negative effect on student athletes. While everyone would sooner win than lose, most public schools do not fire coaches simply because they lose too many games. There may be exceptions but these are exceptions. And of course a long-term losing record is often indicative of other more serious problems. No, think about it - when next in your relaxed, logical thinking mood. School Boards do not insist that their coaches always win. Nor do superintendents, principals, teachers, or even...parents. In fact rarely does anyone ever mention winning as being vitally important. I'm not saying that winning is unimportant or not something to strive for. In fact, striving to win is vital for meaningful competition. But let's recognize that its the striving that is most important. The end result is just one measure of successful striving - and there are others! It is this appreciation that I think is being lost by too many coaches. These folk - fine people off the field - act in practices and games as if their reputations are on the line unless they win. They don't seem to realize that most parents who come to watch school sports have one primary motivation: THEY COME TO WATCH THEIR CHILDREN. Most parents would far sooner watch games in which their children participate than watch teams win with their children sitting on the bench. Interestingly, this corresponds with youth sport research that reports athletes as saying they would rather play on losing teams than sit on the bench of a winning team. Does this mean equal playing time for all athletes? Maybe but maybe not. It's probably right to view that greater playing time is the reward for hard work at the varsity level. But at lower levels - where presumably the desire is to motivate student athletes to become more skillful - it's vital that everyone gets a chance to play. What's happening today is that many youngsters are turned off of continuing in some sports because they don't get a chance to play. The result is that athletics are no fun for anyone. Students drop out, parents are upset with coaches because they believe that their children aren't getting a fair chance, and coaches end up frustrated because their programs never develop the depth of talent needed to ensure long-term success. Coaches could relieve much of this stress if they openly acknowledged that freshman and JV teams were developmental, and gave all students opportunities to play. These opportunities do not have to be completely equal. No one is suggesting that everyone has to have a turn at playing quarterback or goalkeeper. But let's not be choosing our future varsity starters at this level. Too much can happen at this time in our students' lives to make these kinds of predictions. And we miss out on appreciating the potential of many students when we don't give them opportunities to play. Maybe it would be helpful if all coaches regularly received a reminder of why they are coaching in our public schools. Public school athletics are supposed to be EDUCATIONAL in their outcomes and not purely a cheap form of community entertainment. Maybe it would be less stressful if our coaches understood that we are mostly concerned that our children have a positive learning experience. If they win most of the time that's great too. But it's not what those of us who are parents really want. Steve Jefferies Coaching & Sports Section Editor PS. If you don't agree email me with your view. I'd be happy to share it in a future column.

Coach Education in Rural Environments One of the constant challenges facing organizers of athletic programs is a lack of qualified coaches. In many locations close to 50% of coaching positions turn over annually.  While it makes sense to seek qualified coaches, organizers face the reality of either needing to fill coaching positions with "someone" or shutting down programs. We might wonder which is worse - a program with a poorly qualified coach, or no program at all?! In this article, author Craig Stewart, from Montana State University, explains that where problems with coaches' training are especially acute is in the less populated areas of the country. In an attempt to resolve this challenge Dr. Stewart and the staff of the Montana High School Association conducted an assessment of coaching needs. They learned about areas of instructional needs. And they heard that schools could not afford high-priced educational programs. The result was the development of a series of web-based courses that helped coaches meet the desired coaching standards, but also eliminated travel costs. To date more than 1000 coaches have completed some of the available tests, and some have earned college credit. A sample unit from this program can be viewed here. Click here to read the entire article.

Academics and Athletics

Two articles are presented that address the issue of whether participation in athletics has a positive or negative impact on academics. The second article asks whether the effects of athletics are different between individual and team sports. Athletics and Academics Do students who participate in athletics perform better in school that students who don't? Author, Rich Stratton reports that some data suggests that at-risk students may be encouraged to do better in school when involved in athletics. He cautions however that because of the time demands of athletics the athletic performance of some students may decline. In the absence of obvious simple solutions, Rich points out some ways that parents and coaches can help students resolve the challenges athletics places on academic performance. Click here to read the full article.

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Sport for All Are you aware of the new "Sport for All" program? NASPE, Sportime and Human Kinetics have combined efforts to create a similar program enjoyed by 1000s worldwide. The focus of the program is in creating opportunities for young children to learn sport skills and begin developing a love of sports participation. Sport for All is intentionally designed to be easy-to-implement with minimal preparation time. According to the US sponsors it is well suited to after school, recreation, camp, and similar out-of-school community organizations. Sport for All provides opportunities for leader training and of course you can purchase all the materials you need from the program sponsors. Check it out. It may be ideal for an organization in your community. If so, be sure to let them know too!

Quotable Quotes "Don't be afraid to take a big step. You can't cross a chasm in two small jumps." David Lloyd George "Courage is the ladder on which all the other virtues mount." Claire Boothe Luce "When you reach for the stars, you may not quite get them, but you won't come up with a handful of mud either." Leo Burnett "That is what learning is. You suddenly understand something you've understood all your life, but in a new way." Doris Lessing

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Positive Coaching Alliance The Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) believes the realm of youth athletics presents a tremendous opportunity for athletes to develop life skills that will serve them well beyond the playing field. Providing a positive and favorable playing environment should be the goal of every youth sports organization leader, coach, and parent. PCA has developed three guiding documents to drive this change movement: The Positive Coach Mental Model The Standards of Excellence (for youth sport organizations) A Vision Statement PCA organizers believe that people want to change the culture of youth sports, but they are not equipped with the tools to do so. The PCA site gives you an overview of the tools this organization has available for coaches, parents, league organizers, and others who want to take part in this movement. Check out the PCA website and sign up for their free newsletter if these ideas interest you.

Contribute YOUR Ideas

If you have ideas, comments, letters to share, or questions about particular topics, please email one of the following Coaching & Sports Section Editors:

	Mike Clark
	Robert McGowan